In the darkness
by brokenworldswithin
Summary: They were there for eachother. To talk, to laugh, to feel. A new series of crimes will help them to realize what all that means. JJ/Prentiss. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

_**I Don't own the characters and so on...  
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_**Ok, this is my first CM fiction, also the first with a girl-girl pairing. Hope I get it right! Please, tell me what you think of it ;D**_

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><p><em>"True friendship is like sound health, the value of it is seldom known until it be lost"<em>. Charles Caleb Colton.

It was another day in the BAU, everything seemed completely creepy as always. People coming and going, each of them immersed in their own world, pictures of body parts and corpses scattered here and there. _Yes, another day in the office_. JJ thought.  
>How they all managed to survive that job was beyond any analysis that could be done. But she just knew, the reason was pretty obvious for whoever looked at the team from the outside. They were friends; they were a family. And now, they were together again.<br>And having Emily back was like a life savior for her.  
>It felt good to have her back, as if the balance of the team had been restored. Everything was fine, or so it seemed.<br>Will was no longer a part of her life. It was something that weighed on JJ's heart for months, but it didn't bother her anymore. She gave everything for him; her life, her son... but she never was good enough for him. She had to leave the job she loved and sit behind a desk letting the paperwork cover her. He didn't have to give up anything, just watched and criticized her every day. Nothing she did was enough.  
>The first weeks she could barely hold on. Henry kept her afloat, a bright light between her and complete darkness.<br>The cases she worked at that time only helped to sink her deeper into the abyss of despair. Too much pain, too much sadness. How much cruelty existed in the world and how strong did she have to be to face it?  
>Until one day, her bosses decided they needed to "resurrect" Emily Prentiss. JJ was given her location and a safe way to communicate with her. Emily had connections in an embassy somewhere in the Middle East, connections that were useful to the government of the United States.<p>

The memory of that first call, hearing her voice again, her jokes, her concern about JJ and Henry, were like a breath of fresh air in her weary life. They always had a strong bond, an invisible thread that connected them.  
>The case in question was quickly resolved, Emily only had to make a few calls from a secure line and the suspect was found two days later.<br>But they kept in touch. They spoke almost every night, for hours. JJ told her about her life, her problems. Emily listened to her and tried to make her laugh. It was clear that despite the apparent good humor, Emily was feeling alone, but she would never tell her about it, she thought JJ's problems were more important. JJ often thought that those calls saved both of their lives.  
>Yes, it was nice to have Emily back.<p>

JJ made her way to the conference room where Hotch and Garcia were already waiting. A few seconds later, the rest of team members came in. Emily sat down beside her. A simple exchange of glances, and a final agreement was subtle enough to go unnoticed by the rest of their teammates. They didn't know about those calls, about their strong friendship.

"Ok, my beautiful people, here comes another creep for you to catch," Garcia said while pressing the buttons of the remote control. Pictures of three women appeared on the screen. "These three victims were found in Kendall Lake, north-west of Camden, Kershaw County. The bodies were disposed of at the lakefront." Penelope showed the pictures of one of the women entangled in the branches of an old tree that was inclined over the lake water.

"The three of them were disposed of in the same location?" Rossi asked without lifting his gaze from the file in his hands.

"Yes, sir." she answered quickly, the horror of seeing those dead girls never decreased.

"So, the unsub is faithful to his dumpsite." Derek said with a pensive stare.

"Is the local police patrolling the area?" this time Hotch was the one who spoke up.

"I told them to put together a discreet surveillance in case the unsub tried to go back to the lake and revive the crimes," JJ said, standing up and placing herself at the back of Emily's chair. Resting her hand on the brunette's shoulder, she proceeded, "The forensics placed the death of the three women within almost two weeks of separation from each other."  
>García tried not to look directly at Emily's hand covering JJ's and manage to hide a smile.<p>

"The first victim was Janine Rushmore, 35 years old, and a lawyer. Her family reported her missing on August 27th. She was abducted on the way to work." A Camden map appeared on the screen, signalizing with a red line the road that the victim took from her home to the placed she worked.

"The state of decomposition of her body indicates she was killed 24 to 48 hours after she was abducted," Reid said, reading his file. "It means he doesn't 'play' with them or tortures them. It's hard to believe that the time the unsub takes between murders is only to cool off."

"There are no external signs of tortures except for the cuts in their arms." Penelope put another three pictures on the screen "But there's a lot of damage on the inside of the bodies... it all matches to electricity shocks"

"He electrocutes them 'till death." Rossi, finally gazing up, saw the pictures of the cut in the bodies' arms, the words forming between a mix of shallow and deep cuts. "_A ray of ligh_t... that's new."

"Why?" Penelope asked.

"Normally, the messages left in the victims are dark or sad... even a call for attention to authorities, or the person that caused a trauma to the unsub.'A ray of light' seems too... I don't know, positive"

"True, it must mean something very specific to the unsub." Hotch said "What about the second victim?"

"Sybil Gibber, 45 years old. She was a detective in the local police department. She disappeared September 10th from her house in the Historic District, south-west from Kendall Lake. She was found in the same place, same cuts on her forearm" García took a deep breath and proceeded "Third victim, Susan Rowlings, 56 years old. She disappeared on the way to her son's house, ten blocks away from hers. She walked the same path every morning because she took care of her grandson while their parents worked. Was reported missing three days ago."

"Same place, same marks." Rossi concluded.

"As far as I can see, the victimology is all over the place," Prentiss said, finally letting go of JJ's hand and standing up to reach the cup of coffee that Derek was handing her. "The three victims come from different social backgrounds; economical status is different, too. Janine Rushmore was a very successful lawyer, Gibber and Rowlings were middle class. Besides, the race didn't matter, the detective was african-american."

"The ages don't match either, 35 to 56 seems like a wide range of age." Reid said with his matter-of-fact look.

"The only common thing is the gender." JJ said, watching as Emily didn't got back to her chair, and sat down.

"That, and the fact that they seemed to be some sort of 'power figure'. A lawyer, a police officer, and a social worker... they all work with people. So far it seems he picks them randomly, but if they have a connection, we're going to have a lot of suspects." Hotch said "What have we got on the unsub?"

Derek was the first to speak, "I think he's a male, possible in his late-twenties to mid-thirties, for him it's all about control and dominating the victim, seeing them getting electrocuted gets him off."

"He is probably a local." Emily continued sitting across from JJ, a barely noticeable smile appeared on her lips when meeting JJ's eyes. "He might be working or living in the area where he dumps the bodies, he seems to know the terrain very well."

"He also knows the routines of the victims. He's patient enough to wait until they're alone so no one will notice him taking them." Rossi said rising from his seat.

"He should have a car or some sort of transportation vehicle, the area between the victims' last whereabouts and the dump site is quite large" said Reid, somehow lost in thoughts.

"What about the unsub's ethnicity?" asked Hotch, arranging his papers.

Reid answered him, "The racial demographics regarding serial killers are often subject of debate. In the United States, the majority of reported and investigated serial killers are white males, from a lower-to-middle-class background, usually in their late-twenties to early-thirties."

"So, we have the most generic serial killer on our hands. Great!" Derek said sarcastically.

"We should find more information as we get to Camden," JJ said. "Our plane leaves in 2 hours."

"Good," Hotchner was on his way to the door, "Once we get there, Prentiss and Morgan will go to the places where the victims were last seen. I need to know if somebody saw something strange the days before the disappearances. Reid and Rossi will go to the dump site, see if there's anything special about it that help us better understand this killer. JJ and García will come with me to the police station. JJ, I need you to help me with the media, I know it's not your job anymore, but it would take some time for us to adjust and we need to tell that community that a killer is on the loose and they must be alert."

"Yes, sir."

"I have to go, too... sir?" García asked.

"Yes. I need you to set up camp there. We will need you close. I'm afraid that all your data bases would be of an extreme help with this unsub."

And after five minutes, the conference room was cleared and the profiler's team was on the way to their jet.


	2. Chapter 2

_***Insert usual disclaimer here***_

_**A very big "thank you" to my betareader Oasiso :D  
><strong>_

_**Here we go... second chapter!  
><strong>_

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><p><em>"Love looks not with eyes, but with the mind. And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."<em> William Shakespeare.

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><p>Emily walked between the seats of the privet jet the team used to get to the most recondite places of the country with two cups of strong coffee in her hands. She knew JJ didn't sleep well last night, her phone call at 3 am proved so. She passed by Derek and Reid, both immersed in a big map that showed Kendall lake and its surroundings, and sat next to the the blond agent.<p>

"Oh, thanks, Em." she said with a deep sigh.

"No problem." Emily sat, eyes straight ahead. She wanted to ask her, but messing with JJ's problems, when all she wanted was to forget, didn't seem like something a good friend would do.

"I'm ok, Em, really." JJ turned around to look at her best friend, their eyes meeting and exchanging a concerned gaze. Finally, Emily smiled.

"Stay out of my mind, reading my thoughts is not funny anymore!" she said, winking her eye.

It was turning into a habit for them, JJ always managed to know what Emily was thinking.

Since she got back form the dead, Emily visited JJ's house more often than not.

Spending a sunny afternoon with her best friend and Henry always seemed like the best plan after a busy day at work. The horrors they were exposed to, the blood, the violence, all disappeared in the laugh of that cute little boy. In those warm afternoons, looking at Henry from a bench in the park, JJ and Emily talked. They shared their life, past, present and a brighter future. JJ barely talked about Will anymore, she focused on her son, in the way she would raise him being a single mother. Emily always wanted to asked her why her ex-husband didn't come to visit Henry, but she kept quiet. JJ would tell her in time.

"You know you can tell me, right?" Emily insisted.

After a long silence, JJ answered, a faint smile hanging from her lips. "Isn't all the things that I've told you enough?"

"Answering me with another question, agent Jareau?"

JJ rolled her eyes, "I can't deceive a profiler."

"Not any profiler, it's me, baby." Emily said with a big smile.

JJ grimaced on the inside. Every time Emily called her that, her heart skipped a few beats. The way she looked at her, those deep, brown eyes scrutinizing her down to the very depths of her soul. The way she hold her when she desperately need it.

Emily reached JJ's hand squeezing it a bit. She was all about those small gestures. A smile, a faint touch, a hand in the shoulder, a hug at the right time, even taking Henry out when she couldn't... she loved all of those things. And she loved her. She loved every single aspect of Emily Prentiss.

"Come on, spell it out. Does it have to do with a new special person?" Emily said playfully.

"How old are you, fifteen?"

"You know what I'm talking about." she insisted, hitting her in the arm gently.

"Ok, ok. Yes, I'm thinking about somebody. Happy?"

Suddenly, Emily world's froze. JJ had a boyfriend? Wait, she should be happy about her, she deserved it more than anyone she knew. But why couldn't she even speak?

"Oh... great!" the brunette said finally.

A deep and heavy silence sat between them. After a few seconds Emily was the first to articulate a word.

"W... Well..., who is it?"

"I'm not telling you, Em." JJ replied.

"Why not? I'm your best friend, and this guy has to pass _my_ exam first." Emily said with a rather serious expression on her face.

JJ chuckled a bit. Emily's behavior towards her was fun to watch. Sometimes she acted like a best friend, sometimes like an older brother, and sometimes like... like...

The blond woman sighed at this thought. The times when Emily took care of her like a partner should were the happiest for her in the past months.

"I have to meet this person," Emily continued with her rant "It's my duty to see if he's prepared to take care of you... and Henry. To see if he's capable of getting along with him, playing with him, teaching him things. He's gotta be patient with that cute little boy or I'm going to kick his ass 'till Sunday! And you know you have to be patient with him when he doesn't want to go to bed until you read him a story, and not any story, it has to have stars or cars in it. Like the movie. He loved that movie. And he better not chase him around at bath time, he'll come on his own..."

"I'm pretty sure _this person_ could be a good parent for Henry." JJ smiled trough Emily's little speech. She longed to caress her and take away all of her concerns.

"It's not only that" Emily said frowning. "If he hurt you in any way I... I... I don't know what I'm liable to do." Emily set her eyes on the front seat and remained silent.

_Oh god, I want to hug her so badly_. JJ thought.

Behind them, a very curious Penelope Garcia and David Rossi listened carefully, sharing glances every now and then.

"Ok, people, we're landing in a few minutes!" Hotch raised his voice over the conversations the agents were having on the plane. "Everybody has their assignments so don't waste time once we get there. Reid has a map with the location of the victims' houses, abduction site and dump site,"

Dr. Reid extended a map in front of the team. "It's a small city and all the places seem connected in a way. But this unsub use the same area." He pointed at a bright red circle in the map. "He found the way to go unnoticed 'cause the neighbors don't recall seeing anybody strange in the area the days of the abductions."

"Morgan, Prentiss, talk to area merchants, neighbors and police officers that were due to patrol that area." Hotch said, still looking at the map. "The unsub must have made some kind of surveillance of the victims to know when was the right moment to take them without raising suspicion."

"Is someone going to the morgue to analyze the corpses?" Spencer asked.

"We can go after our visit to the dump site." Rossi suggested.

"Ok, you both do that. JJ, we need a press conference for tomorrow, by that time we should know more about this unsub. The time gap between the kidnaps is inconsistent so he can attack any time now, we have to prevent that from happening."

"Consider it done, Hotch."

"Alright, once you're done, meet up in the Inn Garcia signed us at on Lytlleton Street."

And with that, Hotch concluded the meeting. A few minutes later, the team was arriving to Woodward Field airport. Three cars were waiting to take them to their destinations.


	3. Chapter 3

_***Insert usual disclaimer here***_

_**Another big THANK YOU to Oasiso, the most efficient beta in all world!  
><strong>_

**Third chapter!**

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><p><em>"A mighty pain to love is, and 'tis pain that pain to miss. But for all pains, the greatest pain it is to love, but love in vain".<em> Abraham Cowley.

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><p>The town of Camden was small and colorful, full of friendly people. But you could see in the faces of the locals this series of murders had affected the calm of the place.<p>

The first to arrive to their destination were Morgan and Prentiss. The location of Janine Rushmore's last whereabouts was near Kendall lake. Derek and Emily went to a Dry Cleaner to speak with the owner, who according to the record was the last person who saw the first victim alive.

They were greeted by the smell of bleach and the typical sound of industrial washers coming from the back of the store.

"Good morning, we're looking for Oliver Swan," Emily told a small woman standing at the counter, her white apron was immaculate. She looked at the agents from behind her slightly misty glasses.

"Are you police agents? My husband already told you people all about Mrs. Rushmore."

"We're from the FBI, ma'am." Derek showed his identification "We wanted to ask your husband about the last time he saw Janine Rushmore. Even the smallest detail could help us to find the murderer."

"Mary? Who's there?" Mr. Swan came from the back of the room.

"They are FBI agents, darling, they're here to ask you some questions."

"Ah, yes, yes. I knew you were coming. From the moment I saw on the news of the other woman they found in the same place, I knew that you would come to our town. We need all the help possible so the peace will return to the streets of this town."

Derek and Emily exchanged a knowing glance, the words of the owner of the store were almost solemn. It was obvious that the whole issue was taken very seriously.

"Sir, do you remember that morning when Janine came to pick up her clothes?" Derek asked "Remember what she was wearing?"

"Of course, Mrs. Rushmore had very nice clothes. She wore a jersey and a white shirt, skirt and high heles."

"Do you remember what she did after leaving the store?"

"There were many people on the store that day. I only remember her going to her car."

"Where it was parked? Did she go to her car and drive away?"

"Her car was across the street and yes... no, wait a minute. Before climbing into her car she exchanged a few words with someone."

"Mr. Swan, is there anything you can tell us about that person?" Emily asked.

"Vaguely. She was a woman... her clothes were disheveled, I can't tell how old she looked, she was wearing a hoodie."

"That woman, did she have an argument with Mrs. Rushmore? Or did it seem friendly?"

"I don't think they were friends, but rather it seemed that the woman asked her something."

"She asked her something?"

"Yes, probably another bum asking for a few coins. Lately a few homeless people have appeared in this neighborhood."

"Okay, Mr. Swan, thank you very much for your time." Emily said as they headed for the door.

"A homeless person?" Emily said aloud while crossing the street to get into their car.

"It's not much, but it is a clue that we should consider, Emily" Derek replied.

Emily nodded as she sat behind the wheel, remaining motionless for a few seconds.

"Is something wrong?" Derek asked.

"Tell me, Morgan, you see any homeless around here?"

The agent peered around carefully. There was no one who resembled the description Mr. Swan just gave them.

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><p>On the other side of town, Reid and Rossi were talking to the local coroner.<p>

"The pictures didn't show this much damage in the bodies," Rossi said thoughtfully.

"You have found evidence of sexual assault?" This time it was Reid who spoke, looking closely at the second victim.

"Not at all." the coroner said while handing them the reports of the three victims. "In both cases there was no evidence of penetration or DNA. All I could find is a white substance from under the fingernails. I sent it to the lab; the results will be here in the afternoon."

"It could be cocaine or other drugs. Perhaps this is how he controls his victims."

"We didn't detect any drug in any of the three victims blood," the coroner replied promptly.

"Some kind of drug that's not detectable perhaps?" Reid said.

"I don't think that's the case, Reid" said Rossi. "Remember those marks that we saw in the pictures? They look like the marks left by stun guns."

"You mean these marks?" The coroner said pointing at Janine Rushmore's body. "They were also on the other two victims, but we couldn't determine if they were caused by stun guns because of the severe damage and decomposed state of the bodies."

"Maybe it's part of the torture that the unsub applied to these women," Reid said . "Although the only type of stun guns that can be used as an element of torture are the Tasers. Other weapons are only used to temporarily immobilize the target. Electroshock weapons technology use high-voltage temporary low-current electrical discharge to override the body's muscle-triggering mechanisms, the resulting "shock" is caused by muscles twitching uncontrollably, appearing as muscle spasms. That could be the reason for the marks, to immobilize the victims."

Rossi went around the table where the body of Susan Rawling, the third victim, was. "There was no sexual assault, no detectable drug that could have helped in an eventual torture. The dump site had no element that could signifiy it as a special place for the unsub."

"True." Reid confirmed, following the line of reasoning of the other agent. "Actually, it seems that the unsub only chose that place because it could remain hidden. He didn't want the bodies to be found."

"In addition, the electricity used on the victims could have been used only to kill, not to torture." continued Rossi.

"There is no way of knowing, forensically speaking, the time the bodies were exposed to the electricity and the voltage used." the coroner intervened.

Suddenly Reid stopped pacing. "There is no evidence to suggest sexual assault, no signs of torture and that the killer wanted to relive the crimes. The cause of death refers to overkill, not torture..."

Rossi nodded. "Our unsub is a woman."

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><p>At the local police station, JJ helped Garcia to connect her computers.<p>

Hotch had spent the last hour-and-a-half talking to the police who patrolled the streets of Camden. The only odd events they had in the past few weeks were three families moving away, mostly due to the wave of killings, and a couple of new residents.

JJ remained immersed in thought when Penelope cleared her throat to get her attention.

"You're very quiet, Jayje. Is something wrong?"

JJ looked at her with a half-smile painted on her face. "Not at all, everything is fine."

"Yeah, keep repeating that to yourself, you might believe it someday."

"Harsh!" said JJ smiling.

"I'm sorry. When a friend doesn't want to tell me what's wrong, it gets on my nerves."

"Nothing's wrong, Pen. Really."

"You've been lost in your thoughts for weeks, but lately it's worse. Obviously, something is going around in that little blond head of yours. Spill it out. Now". Garcia said with a funny twinkle in her eye.

JJ finally gave up. "Ok, ok, something is going on... or maybe it's not going anywhere and that's the problem."

Garcia remained in silence, urging JJ to continue.

"That's all I'm telling you."

"C'mon Jayje, That's not fair, don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do, but. No. Do not pull the puppy face on me."

Garcia was still complaining when Hotch walked into the office, behind him Reid and Rossi made their appearance.

"Morgan and Prentiss will be here in any minute."

"Good, 'cause we have something," Rossi said sitting to the table with a gigantic cup of coffee. "We think the unsub is a woman, given the elements we've found in the dump site, or the lack of them, and the method used to kill the victims."

"So, our profile has changed." Hotch said looking at Reid.

"We know female serial killers are rare, they are usually emotionally close to their victims, and generally need to have a relationship with a person before killing them. Kelleher and Kelleher created categories to describe female serial killers. They used the classifications of _black widow, angel of death, sexual predator, revenge, profit for crime, team killer, question of sanity, unexplained_ and _unsolved_. In using these categories, they found most women fell into the categories of black widow and team killer, although I think we have here a case of revenge." Dr. Reid said.

"But, the victims of a typical female serial killer are males." JJ said.

"Countess Elizabeth Bathory of Ecsed was a countess from the renowned Báthory family. After her husband's death, she and four accomplices were accused of torturing and killing hundreds of girls and young women. A source claimed there were over six-hundred victims, though the number for which they were convicted was eighty. Elizabeth, however, was never tried or convicted for the murders. In 1610, howeve, she was imprisoned, where she remained isolated in a set of rooms until her death four years later." Reid said in a breath.

"But this unsub is not killing in a group." Hotch said.

"No, she most likely had some kind of relationship with the victims."

"We got something about that." Morgan said while entering the room, with Prentiss following close behind.

Garcia wasn't the only one to notice how JJ's face lit up when Emily arrived. The brunette agent sought a chair and sat next to agent Jareau, exchanging a smile with her before starting to talk.

"After visiting the families of the victims and the places they were last seen, we were able to connect them to the same person."

"A female." Said Hotch, and it wasn't a question.

"Yes," Prentiss said, and recovering quickly from the surprise, continue, "A woman in her mid-thirties had spoken to the victims prior to the time they went missing. At first we thought it was a vagrant asking for money, but was later identified by her clothes driving an old Cadillac El Dorado near the house of the second victim, Sybil Gibber. In either case, no distinguishing feature could be seen."

"If it is a woman, then she has to have to have some kind of connection to the victims," Morgan said while reviewing some files, "The answer has to be in the victimology."

"Garcia, your equipment is already installed?"

"My babies are buzzing with the excitement for the hunt."

"Find the birthplaces of the three victims. We need to start at the beginning of their lives." Rossi spoke with his eyes closed.

"Very well," Garcia said, typing quickly. "They are all local and have lived in town most of their lives. Janine was out one time while studying law, returned eight years ago and married two years later. Here's an article about her in the local newspaper. It seems that the community was very proud of her, says that she managed to enter one of the most prestigious universities in the country after being raised in an orphanage."

"What about Susan Rawlings?"

"Social worker, retired. She worked for Social Services throughout the county but always lived in Camden."

"Let me guess, detective Gibber worked all her life in Kershaw County, too." Prentiss said.

"Yes. She was born in a town called Beaufort, arrived to Camden in the mid 70s. 1976 to be exact."

The team was silent. At first glance nothing connected to victims beyond their place of residence.

"How many orphanages are in this town, Garcia?" JJ asked suddenly.

"There are... 2 orphanages. Surprisingly high for a population of only 10,000 people."

"Susan Rowlings was in contact with the administrators of some of these orphanages?"

"My girl is spot on," Garcia said smiling at JJ. "She conducted inspections at the orphanages frequently in the '80s."

"There is the connection between Rushmore and Rowlings," Rossi said. "In one of these visits, they should have met, but maybe neither remembered."

"Someone remembers." Prentiss said, "Before disappearing, Rushmore was seen arguing with a woman that looked about her age, maybe they grew up in the same orphanage as a child?"

"It is probable. But many children were in those orphanages, it can be any of them."

"We have to talk to those who run the orphanage; we need their records." said JJ.

"I'm afraid it will not be possible. The place was burned to the ground in a fire ten years ago. It has not been rebuilt." Penelope anticipating the agent's next question.

"How convenient." Rossi said with a sad grin.

"JJ, put together a press conference for tomorrow morning, we will alert all the people about this woman. Meanwhile, Morgan, Prentiss and I will give the profile to the local police. We'll meet in the hotel in half-an-hour" Hotch said rising from his seat.

A half-an-hour later, the BAU team were in the lobby of the inn.

"Reservations were made but the inn doesn't have many rooms so we'll have to share." Hotch said while separating the room keys to hand out. "Reid, Morgan, you two in room number three."

"Oh, did you know three is the first odd prime number, and the second smallest prime. It is both the first Fermat prime and the first Mersenne prime, the only number that is both, however, it is the second..." Reid followed Morgan down the hallway blubbering about the particularities of number three.

Hotch smiled and continued, "Dave, you'll have to share with me. Room number four."

"If you snore, I'll hit you." Rossi said while taking the key handed by Hotch.

"Prentiss, you share the room with Garcia, number five."

"Yes, sir!" said Garcia happily, grabbing the key.

"But..." was all Emily could say before being dragged down the corridor by the computer analyst.

"Emily and I usually share the room." JJ said, almost whispering, seeing the two women walking away.

"Yes, but today is your lucky day," Hotch said handing the key to room number seven, "You have the room to yourself."

JJ stood in the lobby for a few minutes before heading to the solitude of her room. _Definitely not my lucky day_, she thought.

In room numer five, while an unsuspecting Emily Prentiss pulled some things out of her bag, Penelope Garcia forumlated naughty plans for that night, involving her two best friends.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Ok, this is chapter four, you know I don't own any of the characters of Criminal Minds, I just borrow them for a crazy ride..._**

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><p><em>"Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence". <em>Eric Fromm.

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><p>Emily sat silently in her bed. Penelope mumbled something about teasing Morgan and left the room like a whirlwind.<p>

And there she was, with nothing to distract her from her treacherous mind. A mind plagued with images of JJ. JJ speaking to the local media, JJ joking with Reid, JJ running her fingers through her perfect hair, JJ sipping her coffee... JJ kissing her new boyfriend. That last image just made Emily sick. But why?. JJ was her friend and she wished nothing but happiness for her. Why did it hurt so much that the blond was moving on with her life? Every day, the feeling was getting worse. The pain in the chest, the longing looks, the urge to just reach out for her and touch her, hug her. Emily sighed heavily at her thoughts. She was smart enough not to deceive herself. She knew what was happening, she could read all the signs. But understanding made no good for her situation

When they were in the same room, the place got smaller, the air was missing, Emily couldn't breathe. She just couldn't avoid it, couldn't help but crave for JJ's touch . It seemed that everything she did was aimed at JJ noticing that she was there, right beside her. She didn't do it consciously, one moment she was talking about a case with the team and in the other she was sitting beside JJ, or standing at her side. It was as if their bodies would attract inexorably. Emily corrected herself, it was as if her body was attracted to JJ's, it was clear that the blond agent didn't feel the same. She was friendly with her as always. Always had a smile for everyone, a word of affection, a loving gesture and Emily wasn't the exception.

Emily went to the small balcony of the room, the cool night air filled her lungs in a deep, heartfelt sigh. She remembered that night when she drove JJ home and she invited her in. The babysitter was waiting with Henry in her arms, the little boy didn't want to go to sleep until his mother read him a story. After jumping into JJ's arms, Henry extended his little arm towards Emily. "Hug," he said and Emily couldn't refuse, she didn't even tried to make up an excuse. She approached the mother and the child and embraced them both. The three shared the embrace for several minutes until JJ realized that Henry was finally asleep. "I always said you'd make a good mom," JJ said, fixing her warm blue eyes in the dark depths of Emily's confused eyes. She just smiled.

All those memories shared with JJ and Henry in the past months came to haunt her in these endless dark nights. The emptiness oppressed her heart even more when she was alone. All of these feelings were confusing, they were so deep that she couldn't compartmentalize them. They were just there, so rooted in her own being that removing them would be to extract a part of her soul. But she wouldn't try to ignore them, all those memories made her feel like a human being. A human being in pain, miserable and sad. Exposed and with deep and open wounds. But human at last. She sighed. The stars seemed to shine brighter for a second.

"Hey, I never thought you'd be the type who looks at the stars."

Emily turned around and saw JJ standing behind her with two steaming cups of chocolate and a huge smile.

"JJ! I didn't hear you." Emily was visibly surprised but it didn't take long to recover and rejoice in the presence of the blond in her room.

Given the evident surprise of the brunette, JJ couldn't hide her disappointment, Emily obviously didn't want to be with her as much as she wanted.

"Oh, yeah, sorry to come in here without knocking. Garcia left these files," she said waiving at a pile of manila files. "They're from the victims, Hotch wants you and me to check them out together ... chocolate was for, well ... you like chocolate." she ended looking at the floor.

Emily smiled. _She always thinks of me._

"Hotch can't see us doing nothing. Come, sit beside me and give me that tasty chocolate. It smells like heaven."

Emily's friendship mask was in its place again.

A bright smile lit up JJ's face as she approached the bed and sat next to the brunette, passing the steamy chocolate. The first few minutes were a picture of an appreciation for chocolate. Both women sat in silence with eyes closed, enjoying the hot beverage. Once the cup was empty, they opened their eyes.

"Yeah, I can sleep peacefully now." Emily said looking at the woman at her side with a big, genuine smile.

JJ's heart collapsed, lost in that smile. Her gaze turned to the brunette's lips and the words got stuck in her throat.

"I know, I know. We have to review those files," Emily said with a resigned sigh, interpreting the silence of her friend as a rebuke for her lack of professionalism, "But, I swear to God, I could lie down, snuggle and sleep 48 hours straight after that chocolate ."

"Snuggle?" JJ's poor mind didn't have a chance. That woman had no idea the impact that her words caused to the blond.

"Yeah. You know, get close, cuddle, lean against each other, usually while sitting or in bed and just... hug." Emily's mind had provided a complete picture of how and whom she would want to curl up with, but she didn't let her thoughts roam further, JJ was too close and she might notice it.

But JJ's mind had been sunk in a very vivid fantasy, _if only I could..._

"Well, give me a file."

Emily's voice brought her out of her dreams back to reality and it was right on time because her perverted mind hadn't stopped in the snuggle, all the things she was doing to Emily...

"Here." she said passing the file without looking at her in the eye. Surely she was all flushed now.

Emily opened the file with a deep frown on her forehead. She shouldn't be thinking about JJ they way she did while reviewing a case.

Two slow hours passed before the two agents could complete their notes on the case and the victims. They both had ended completely lying in the bed, side by side. Their arms were touching, conveying their bodies warmth. Moving from such horrible case to that intimacy with the person you love was like finally getting to heaven. Neither wanted to move, afraid that the slightest movement could brake the fantasy, the moment that JJ would have to leave.

They stayed in the bed staring at the ceiling for a few minutes until JJ's phone rang and they were both extracted form the bubble of reverie in which they were.

"Garcia, talk to me," answered the blond.

Emily listened intently but she could only hear the happy chatter of the FBI's analyst. After hanging up, JJ smiled.

"What happened?" Emily asked.

"It seems the kids are watching a 40's movie, Reid's favorite and Penelope says she will stay with them."

"She prefers to be with two boys instead of me?" Emily said feigning a grimace. "That hurts my feelings."

"Don't be silly, Emily. Anyone would die to be with you."

_If only I could..._

"Stay with me tonight," the brunette said suddenly.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Some feedback is good for the writers soul ;D<strong>_.**_ Please review!_**


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